She nodded and adjusted herself on the couch, causing me to bring my feet back to my side. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… It’s been a long day.”
It had been a stressful day, which was the whole point of the movie night idea. “It really has been. We don’t have to finish the movie. If you’d rather have time alone, I understand.” I smiled, even though the thought of her leaving early filled me with dread.
Of course, I respected any decisions she made, but I hoped she didn’t want to leave just yet.
She shook her head and gave me a soft smile. “No, I’m fine. Really. Let’s get back to the movie.”
She returned her attention to the TV without another word and I shrugged. I was sure if something was really bothering her, she would tell me. I didn’t want to push her any further, so I left it alone.
I did glance at her a few times and caught her doing the same. We’d smile at each other and return our gazes to the film. I assumed everything was okay.
About halfway through the movie, she yawned more often andlooked like she was trying to get more comfortable on the couch. I wrapped my arms around her, bringing her closer to me and making her rest her head in my lap. I adjusted the blanket over her and smiled as her arms rested on my legs. The warmth of her touch calmed me. It meant she was comfortable and felt safe with me.
I rested one arm on her back as my other hand played aimlessly with her hair. It smelled like her strawberry shampoo, and I leaned back against the couch, content.
I wasn’t really watching the movie, too busy watching her. I kept leaning up to see if she was asleep. She’d look back at me with a smile, and I’d relax into the couch again. I wanted her not to think. Not about work. Not about her dad or what she had to do tomorrow. I just wanted her to lie there with me, watching her favorite movie until she fell peacefully asleep.
I got my wish because a few minutes later, I leaned up to check on her and she was fast asleep. I kissed the top of her head, letting her sleep on me, until eventually, I fell asleep myself.
Chapter Five
DAISY
I spent a good hour in bed with Duke,checking and replying to emails. Most of them were spam, but a good portion were people interested in hiring me. I loved my job, and I was thankful I didn’t have to interact with people face-to-face.
I could communicate with them through social media and email, and I loved that I could work from home. Although, I mainly worked from the bookstore. I was lucky enough to be best friends with one of the owners, but even before that, Drea was always so sweet to me and never made me feel like a burden because I didn’t buy anything most of the time.
The first year or so I started going to the store, I rarely saw Drea. It was always Kaia’s smiling face that greeted me. Later, I realized Drea was going through some things and was hardly around, which I learned wasn’t like her at all. Eventually she started coming in regularly, and after she introduced herself, Kaia did the same, and we’d been inseparable ever since.
The first thing I noticed about Kaia was her cute little nose and how it crinkled up every time she smiled. I was thrown off when she introduced herself and started signing. She told me her dad was deaf and she grew up using ASL in the house. That was another reason we vibed well together. She understood the struggle and didn’t judge me for my disability.
After a few more minutes of replying to emails and sending invoices, I forced myself out of bed and padded to the kitchen. I hoped Kaia was still sleeping so I could get breakfast started for her. I wanted her to get as much rest as possible, which I knew was a losing battle. She was always doing something and rarely took time for herself. At least she had her yoga and meditation.
I was several feet away from the kitchen when my legs stopped moving. Kaia was already awake. She was already awake, and she was doing yoga. I knew she did yoga in the mornings, but I’d never witnessed it before. The total shock must’ve been what caused my mouth to go dry and my eyes to linger on her toned legs.
I’d seen her in shorts and dresses before, so I’d seen her legs, but I’d never seen them in that position. Stretched out while the rest of her body faced the floor. And I’d never seen them in tight yoga shorts. Tight shorts that showed the curve of her ass perfectly. I bit my lip. I was not supposed to objectify my best friend right after her father’s funeral. I wasn’t supposed to objectify her at all! I wasn’t!
I was about to head back to my room when she turned around and froze when she saw me. I unfroze myself and brought up my hands to apologize, the motions moving so fast I wasn’t sure if she’d catch it all.
“Hey! Sorry to interrupt. I didn’t know you were up. I… was just going to make breakfast.” Why was I so awkward? I didn’t even give her a chance to reply. I quickened my steps to the kitchen and grabbed the eggs out of the fridge.
I had never had these thoughts of her before. I mean, of course I knew she was beautiful, objectively speaking. Anyone with eyeballs could see that. She had soft brown hair and big brown eyes that looked like pools of melted chocolate. She wasn’t insanely tall, but she wasn’t short either.
I imagined her voice to be just as sweet as her personality. Her smile could solve so many problems if she were the president. She was soft and femme, just my type. Butnotmy type because she was my best friend.
I didn’t think you were supposed to get turned on from seeing your best friend’s ass in tight shorts. Still, I couldn’t deny how good she looked dripping in sweat, doing the downward dog position with her ass in the air…Stop it!
A gentle tap on my shoulder caused me to jump, higher than I normally would’ve and I whirled around, dropping the eggs in the process.Shit!
“I’m so sorry, Daisy. I didn’t mean to scare you! Here, let me help!” I raised my hands to protest, but she was already bending down to clean up the eggs.
When I lowered myself to help, I was face-to-face with her chest, andmy legs almost gave out. She wore just a yellow sports bra with her black shorts, and I tried, and failed, not to bite my lip.
Her arms and chest glistened with sweat, and my eyes decided her chest was the place they wanted to focus on. It made sense; boobs were my kryptonite. There was just something about them. I loved all sizes and colors. I couldn’t see hers, but my brain tried to, maybe a little too hard. Her bra was thin enough that I could see her nipples faintly pointing out. Luckily, she was oblivious to my ogling.
Why was this happening to me? Why was I thinking about her in averyunfriendly way? Best friends did not fantasize about each other. Iwasn’tfantasizing about her. It had just been a while, and she was so close I couldn’t think straight. That was all.
I shook the feelings away and shot to my feet. I washed my hands quickly and turned back to see Kaia’s concerned look.
